@treagus sent me a set of through a DM but Tumblr did…well, what it usually does, so I’m forced to respond to her this way. Stay awesome, Tumblr.
So here, have some WIP Scamander/Goldstein Christmas-time fluff. Yes, I know Tina is Jewish but I just had to do something with this idea in the aftermath of CoG, so…
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The electric fairy lights paint the dingy walls in watercolor shadows when Newt steps through the basement door, brightening his tiny flat. He smiles to himself and toes off his battered work boots, only to come up short when Tina turns from her place on the couch to acknowledge him, a blue light reflecting off the darkest part of her eyes, making them flash.
“Hi,” she greets him quietly, lifting her coffee mug before blushing down at her lap.
“Hello,” Newt manages without stammering, drinking in his fill of the delicate curve of her cheek, the graceful line of her neck before snapping himself out of it and shuffling across the room to the tree.
Newt tries very hard not to dwell on the fact that she’s wearing his pajamas, the ones he had loaned her nearly three months ago, in the immediate aftermath of Paris and the heartbreak it had wrought. The light mustard-colored silk looks better on her than they ever did on him, and he places his gifts beneath the tree — heartened to find a goodish pile already there, in a variety of colorful papers — before reverently touching one of the strands of popcorn and berries they had strung together the previous evening, enhanced by her shy smile as they lingered over tea and delicate little sandwiches.
“Hey, Newt,” Jacob calls from the kitchen in a knowing tone, snapping Newt from his reverie. He looks up quickly, flushing with presumed guilt, only to meet Jacob’s twinkling eyes. “You wanna help me with these eggs? I think your brother’s a bit lost, here.”
“I’m not lost,” Theseus grumbles, peering with obvious confusion at a bent fork. “I’m only just…aren’t these for eating?”
Newt snorts despite himself before standing. He dips his head to find Tina watching him with a tiny, secretive smile, and it lifts him enough that he can’t be entirely sure his feet touch the floor the three steps it takes him to pluck the fork from Theseus’ fingers. “They’re also good for beating eggs,” he tells him wryly, holding out a hand for the extravagantly rose-spangled apron that had been a Christmas gift from their mother before donning it.
“Suit yourself,” Theseus rumbles, chucking Newt on the shoulder before brushing past him to pour a cup of tea. “I never was any bloody good in the kitchen. In fact, Leta…” he trails off, a familiar sadness darkening his eyes before he shrugs it off with visible effort, rallying a lukewarm smile. “Leta, she used to say it was a minor miracle I could manage toast without burning the flat down.”
“Looks like Newt here got all the kitchen skills, then,” Jacob says with an understanding smile for Theseus before winking broadly. “Guess your talents lie elsewhere, eh, Theseus?”
Newt looks up from where he’s cracking eggs into a bowl. “That’s not quite fair,” he interjects quietly, heartened when Jacob and Theseus turn to listen to him. “I’d argue we both received those other ‘talents’.”
Jacob brays laughter at that, shoulders shaking as he portions off the spicy-smelling dough and covers the baking pan with a tea towel. Theseus even cracks a true smile, shrugging self-deprecatingly before nabbing a slice of toast from the awaiting pile. “I think that’s more about my little brother than I’d really like to know,” he says with a chuckle, “but I’m sure there’s a woman out there who could appreciate his…talents.”
Newt’s eyes go like a magnet to Tina, who is fingering the afghan covering her lap and watching them all with a species of simple joy he hasn’t seen on her in…Merlin, months. Her eyes meet his, prompting a familiar and pleasant tingle to surge from the crown of his head to the tip of his toes. He manages a weak, “Yes, perhaps,” and maintains poignant eye contact until Theseus snaps his fingers beneath his nose, breaking the temporary spell.
“Oi, Newt, get your mind back to London now, or do you actually prefer your eggs crunchy?”
“Bugger off, Theseus,” Newt sighs. He digs his elbow none-too-gently into his older brothers ribs, earning a laugh, and sets about digging out the shards of shells as Jacob and Theseus flow around him, forcing himself to ignore the tidal pull of Tina’s regards as he focuses on helping to get the morning started off on the right foot.
Christmas hurt/comfort fluff, ‘cause I have no chill.
Disclaimer:People in Japan celebrate Christmas much more differently than we westerners usually do, so the general vibe of this ‘chapter’ can also be a little unexpected for some.
Word count: 3791
Warnings: Strong language, use of cigarettes and alcohol.
OCs included
OCs x various
The cigarette hissed in the ashtray, dim flickers under the piece of wrapped paper. A thin line of smoke left behind, hovering up to the ceiling. He placed his other hand on the buzzing phone. Brought it in the nearness of his ear and heaved a deep breath. It soon turned into an angry growl, as the voice on the other side was way too loud for him to undergo. High-pitched, overly enthusiastic and hyperactive all-round.
A full load of unnecessarily used energy in his random babbling.
“So guess what I’ve bumped into Tanaka-san and he was all alone and it got me surprised I asked him where you were at what you’ve been up to lately and he told me you’re hanging out with some cute girl and I got so excited, like-” He took a gulp of air. “Like wow there really is someone for everyone. I’m so happy for you, Shizuo-kun, I really am! Is she pretty? She surely is. Now if you want any advice you know I’m here for you, Celty and I’ve been through a lot by now and our love is stronger than ever. You know what? We should double date, we should definitely double date! So is it settled? Friday on X-mas Eve? We’ll have X-mas cake and give presents to each other and everything! Exciting, isn’t it?”
Shizuo scratched his back. All bafflement and faltering disapproval.
“You know, she isn’t really my-“
He was cut off by Shinra’s noisy laughter.
“Friday it is! See ya, Shizuo-kun! I’m so, so looking forward to meeting her!” He hung up. Leaving the man staring blankly at the phone’s white screen.
